Comments on: Writing for children – a new experience http://guidohenkel.com/2011/06/writing-for-children-%e2%80%93-a-new-experience/ Welcome to the world of writer and game designer Guido Henkel Sat, 25 May 2013 21:24:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 By: LeNore Merritt http://guidohenkel.com/2011/06/writing-for-children-%e2%80%93-a-new-experience/#comment-1319 LeNore Merritt Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:15:14 +0000 http://guidohenkel.com/?p=753#comment-1319 I teach middle grades, 6-8 to be exact (8 years with those grades). I also read what they read. As in, we share books. You are right about stripped down minimalist style. They have no patience for description, unless it is of clothes or accessories. No insult intended. However, on vocab I disagree. While I wouldn't use tenebrific, all of the other words you listed are found in YA books. If you mean 5th graders or below, which is 11 and under, then you are right. However middle graders who read have high lexile scores and large reading vocabularies. Plus, they can stay interested in a book with as many as 5-10 unknown words per page. Because they are readers they are able to extrapolate the meanings of words through context clues when their non-reading peers can not. By the end of the 8th grade nearly all students who read have lexile scores above 12th grade, which means they can read and understand adult books. Non readers remain at grade level. You do have to be wary of your metaphors because metaphors are interpreted based on the readers experiences and middle graders just don't have a lot of experience. You are right about the more subtle nuances of words going a long way in adult literature. While YA's don't have the language or life experience to understand all the nuances, again they are taught to use context clues to interpret meaning. Just don't use too many on a page I teach middle grades, 6-8 to be exact (8 years with those grades). I also read what they read. As in, we share books. You are right about stripped down minimalist style. They have no patience for description, unless it is of clothes or accessories. No insult intended. However, on vocab I disagree.

While I wouldn’t use tenebrific, all of the other words you listed are found in YA books. If you mean 5th graders or below, which is 11 and under, then you are right. However middle graders who read have high lexile scores and large reading vocabularies. Plus, they can stay interested in a book with as many as 5-10 unknown words per page. Because they are readers they are able to extrapolate the meanings of words through context clues when their non-reading peers can not.

By the end of the 8th grade nearly all students who read have lexile scores above 12th grade, which means they can read and understand adult books. Non readers remain at grade level.

You do have to be wary of your metaphors because metaphors are interpreted based on the readers experiences and middle graders just don’t have a lot of experience.

You are right about the more subtle nuances of words going a long way in adult literature. While YA’s don’t have the language or life experience to understand all the nuances, again they are taught to use context clues to interpret meaning. Just don’t use too many on a page

]]> By: C. S. Hand http://guidohenkel.com/2011/06/writing-for-children-%e2%80%93-a-new-experience/#comment-1310 C. S. Hand Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:18:38 +0000 http://guidohenkel.com/?p=753#comment-1310 You should do one of those hip and trendy remixes (I have in mente texts such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and at the very end of your childrens novel insert a horrific conclusion =) You should do one of those hip and trendy remixes (I have in mente texts such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and at the very end of your childrens novel insert a horrific conclusion =)

]]> By: Guido http://guidohenkel.com/2011/06/writing-for-children-%e2%80%93-a-new-experience/#comment-1306 Guido Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:14:40 +0000 http://guidohenkel.com/?p=753#comment-1306 The Nook software for desktops was completely broken the last time I checked. It could not even properly center text, so I'm not surprised that an animated image file wouldn't work. Unfortunately Barnes&Noble has some serious work to do on their software end. The Nook software for desktops was completely broken the last time I checked. It could not even properly center text, so I’m not surprised that an animated image file wouldn’t work.

Unfortunately Barnes&Noble has some serious work to do on their software end.

]]> By: Giulio http://guidohenkel.com/2011/06/writing-for-children-%e2%80%93-a-new-experience/#comment-1303 Giulio Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:50:52 +0000 http://guidohenkel.com/?p=753#comment-1303 Guido: I'm working on an idea for an animated children's book. The Nook Kids website shows several books that seem to have some kind of animation. I experimented including an animated gif into a short trial using Sigil. Both Sigil and Calibre open the epub file with the gif animated, but when I tried it on the nook for PC there was only a static image. Do you have any suggestions? Guido:
I’m working on an idea for an animated children’s book. The Nook Kids website shows several books that seem to have some kind of animation. I experimented including an animated gif into a short trial using Sigil. Both Sigil and Calibre open the epub file with the gif animated, but when I tried it on the nook for PC there was only a static image. Do you have any suggestions?

]]> By: Vicki http://guidohenkel.com/2011/06/writing-for-children-%e2%80%93-a-new-experience/#comment-1300 Vicki Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:32:06 +0000 http://guidohenkel.com/?p=753#comment-1300 I've never attempted to write fiction for children's, but I imagine it'd be even harder than adult fiction. All the best with it, Guido. I’ve never attempted to write fiction for children’s, but I imagine it’d be even harder than adult fiction. All the best with it, Guido.

]]>